Every You Every Me
by Celesteennui
Summary: Post HB2. Some people say that children are treasures beyond any comparison; testaments to the best of you once you're gone. Others say that they're the nicest way your own parents can get a little payback for all those sleepless nights YOU caused...
1. A Simple Kind of Life Pt 1

**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own Hellboy or any characters originating from his universe as created by the brilliant Mike Mignola and re-envisioned by the equally talented Guillermo del Toro. All I can lay any weak claim to within this chapter and following installments are the original characters and the storyline I dreamed up as a possible continuation to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Everything as follows has been written for pure entertainment value and I make no money for it as that would be highly unethical. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated; please enjoy the read.

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"For the last time, we didn't do _anything_!" a young boy of about eight or nine howled, clutching the carved wooden arms of the straight-backed chair in which he sat. Beside him a girl of the same age was staring off into space, as if oblivious to as the shout and drawn faces about her; quite a feat, all things considered. They were quite obviously siblings, probably twins given the proximity they appeared to share in age, for all the features that they shared. The same very dark hair, the same amber eyes, pale skin, and the exact same facial features right down to the tips of their arrow straight noses. With the way that their hair had been cut, just below the ears, there would have been no way of distinguishing one from the other if their school uniforms had not indicated to their gender.

Oddly enough, the boy didn't seem to be yelling at the stern faced man sitting on the other side of the big desk with the shiny brass name plate reading "Principle J. Braun", as he attempted to defend his case. No, his anger and proud eyes were locked upon the pale, dark haired woman standing to his left who, in turn, watched him with cool, calculating, regard, almost as if she was sizing him up.

"Why, oh, why, do I have such a hard time believing that?" the woman returned in her low monotone as she crossed her arms. Her brown eyes were so hard and so dark as they lay on the boy's face they actually looked black, like tunnels reaching down somewhere in the earth you didn't want to go. If he found that darkness intimidating, the boy didn't let on.

"Hell if I know!" he exclaimed throwing up his hands.

Beside him the girl was broken out of her thoughts; she'd been half paying attention to the argument up until that point but upon hearing the rash reply of her cohort, became full ward of reality again. And warily too, as she knew what the impudence in his words had just spurred. She bit down hard on her lower lip as the unending black of the woman's eyes leapt to a dangerous life, tendrils of dark flames practically reaching out to set the boy ablaze. He had the common sense at this point to realize what he'd said may not have been the best of decisions and recoiled in his seat.

She didn't say anything; that was what made her so absolutely terrifying in this state. Sound waves didn't make nearly as an abrasive a cacophony as those large, dark eyes did with just a flicker of an eyelash when so filled with anger. In the tense silence between she and the two children volcanoes were erupting, fissures were splitting the tender crust of the earth, and stars were screeching out their swansongs as they imploded into matter hungry voids. In short both children were severely regretting anything and everything that had brought them here, particularly the boy.

"Close it, Trevor," the woman ordered as the boy's lips parted tremulously. The boy, Trevor, complied at once, shrinking back against the dark green material of his chair. She gave the girl a similar look, as if to smother any words _she_ might be thinking up, but it proved to be an entirely needless gesture as the child remained still as ever, small hands folded on her lap. When she was sure that there would be no further outbursts from either of the children she turned back towards the man at the desk, her face falling a little as lines of apology and weariness etched themselves into her countenance.

"I'm sorry, Jim, you know we're perfectly willing to accept any bills for what the damages the terrible two have inflicted," she told the principle with a sigh. "And _they,_" she jerked her head towards the children, "will accept any punishment without a peep. _Won't you, _Trevor? Maria?"

"Yes." It was spoken quickly, in small voices so alike that, just as their owner's faces, they could hardly be told apart.

Professor Braun, looking far less upset with the situation than the woman, smiled faintly at her and nodded. "They really didn't do much, Liz," he assured her. The tone of his voice belayed that he might be trying to make things a little easier for the twins. He immediately began to backtrack upon his leniency when Liz's eyes started to darken upon _him_. He held his hands up quickly. "I mean, I'm certainly not _condoning_ setting those tooth-fairies on fire. After all, Professor Nyore did go to great lengths to procure them for the Magical Nature class, but no one was hurt, so—"

"What about the satyr kid who got his tail burned off?" Liz cut in, her left eyebrow cocked. "His mother was half screaming about a lawsuit over it when I walked in here if I remember correctly, Jim."

A sigh escaped Professor Braun's throat as he rolled his eyes. "Mrs. Clack is an alarmist, Liz," he told her. "The school nurse plus an EMT that came out when the twins kicked off the fire alarm, _both_ examined Billy Clack and the most he's suffering from is a few singed hairs on his rump. No one besides a five tooth fairies have any issue with injury on account of Maria and Trevor."

"Hmm, yeah well that's still five creatures to many," Liz replied, glancing briefly behind her. Trevor cringed again while Maria diverted her eyes to her lap. Sighing heavily, Liz ran a hand through her smooth, chin length hair. "Okay, so I take it I'm free to round up my miniature circus for the day? What time will they be reporting for detention in the morning and for how long?"

"I would think that that is perfectly acceptable and that Professor Gumblubble would be more than happy to receive the twins at say…eight o'clock sharp for the next two weeks?" Professor Braun said; he barely hid a smile when Trevor started to moan his disbelief at his new alarm clock setting but was cut off by another soul searing look from his mother.

Turning from her reprimand Liz held her hand out to the principle, offering a faint, tired smile as they shook. "Thank you Jim," she told him. "Like I said forward any damages to us, we'll even cover a new butt toupee for the Clack kid." Her mouth twitched and she released Professor Braun's hand, while he snorted rather loudly, turning back towards Trevor and Maria. Both children were already standing, Maria to almost military attention her backpack already on while Trevor struggled to zip his up (papers seemed to be _leaping_ from the mouth of it) while simultaneously slipping it on.

Liz rolled her eyes and without a word took the pack from her son as she started out the door; she didn't need to look back to make sure that Trevor and Maria were right at her heels, their rather short (for the moment) tails switching back and forth. The halls were, for Liz at least, mercifully empty, with no trace of angry parents or disapproving teachers throwing dirty looks in their direction. Of course she missed a few small faces peaking through windows in the Aquatic Discoveries Class, grinning at the twins and throwing adoring gestures to them with fins and hands alike. Maria and Trevor alike knew better than to react; besides, after detention the following morning they would have seven whole hours to be their classmates' heroes, at least for the remainder of the school week.

Liz didn't say a word until Trevor and Maria had strapped themselves into the back of the oversized Hummer that had become as associated with their mother, her work, and appearance as they had with each other. After checking her mirrors and clicking her safety belt into place she meet the twins' eyes in the rearview. "I know you both missed the big reprimand I was supposed to give you in front of Professor Braun, but don't worry I have something very special in mind for it when we get home." She said this with an almost pleasant smile that made both children swallow despite their dry mouths. Liz continued to smile as she slide her sunglasses over her eyes. "I got a call from Uncle Johann just before Mr. Braun rang. Looks like your Dad wrapped up in Tangiers early, he should make it through the front door right before we do." The engine's starting roar drowned out Trevor's painful lament but Maria's wince was still clear in the rearview.


	2. A Simple Kind of Life Pt 2

**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own Hellboy or any characters originating from his universe as created by the brilliant Mike Mignola and re-envisioned by the equally talented Guillermo del Toro. All I can lay any weak claim to within this chapter and following installments are the original characters and the storyline I dreamed up as a possible continuation to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Everything as follows has been written for pure entertainment value and I make no money for it as that would be highly unethical. Story title is taken from the name of a song by the band Placebo, and chapter titles are taken from lyrics within said song. Again no ownership claimed. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated; please enjoy the read. Also a very, very, big "Thank you" to my wonderful beta Joelle Hart! You're awesome!

* * *

The ride home was eerily quiet; and that made the fearful air hanging between the twins grow exponentially. Even when they were exhausted from soccer practice, barely awake after long fun-filled days at amusement parks, or pouting after being dragged away from their favorite arcade, Maria and Trevor _always_ had things to say. Good or bad, the two of them were rarely silent (granted, talkative usually meant Trevor chattering with occasional add-ins by Maria). Now though…Maria had returned to staring at something in the distance only she could see. Her twin was doing something that would, under any other circumstances, cause Liz to check him for a fever; he was organizing the contents of his backpack.

The streets that they drove through seemed to echo the tense eeriness of quiet within the van; no one seemed to be out. Granted, it _was_ only one o'clock in the afternoon and even a city as abnormal as Aeglynn had primarily day working citizens, but it _still_ felt like the world around them had become a ghost town, just with lush landscaping and well kept homes. Not so much as a pixie seemed to be fluttering about and considering the constant summer weather of Aeglynn, which usually saw them buzzing around like insects, that was saying an awful lot. Still, both children preferred that strangely noiseless ride to its end, and all too soon for them the immensely familiar green sign, Hob St., had come into view and their mother was turning left onto it and then into the first driveway on the right. Home.

The three story brick house standing against the cloudless blue sky had seldom before been so intimidating to Maria and Trevor. For the tumbling and twisting of their stomachs the white picket fence might as well have been barbed wire with electricity running through it, and the neatly trimmed shrubs lining it should have been brambles. Following their mother through the gate and up the flower dotted walkway, the big glass paned, white double door transformed in their minds to something big, rust covered, and steely, like they'd seen once or twice in a prison movie.

As Liz paused to hit the access code on the home security panel, a shrill voice from somewhere to the left called out, "Hi, Liz!"

Turning toward the voice Liz smiled and waved at the source, a large, gray, creature with a bulbous nose, a pink checkered dress, and masses of red hair styled so that it resembled something as viewed in a Sweeny Todd production. The creature was coming out from what appeared to be a giant cluster of boulders; however, the door it closed suggested that there was a little more to the rocks than one might think.

"Hi, Gorsha, how's Iknabrie?" Liz asked. She cracked the door so that the alarm wouldn't go off, but stayed firmly in place to block the twins from running off while she spoke to their neighbor. "Are his doxie mumps getting any better? He's been out of school almost a week."

"Oh yes, he's doing _much _better," Gorsha said with a nod that caused her hair to bounce in a terribly comical way. She trotted over to the fence separating their yards, lightly resting her thick, knobby-looking gray hands on it. "Dr. Aztar said he should be well enough to be back in class Monday." She smiled apologetically at Maria and Trevor, apparently oblivious to their worried mood. "I don't think that he'll be able come over this weekend, though, kids," she told them. "Don't want you munchkins to get that awful stuff."

"No, that wouldn't be very good at all," Liz agreed, the dryness in her voice unmistakable. "Because I guarantee they'll be serving their detentions for the next two weeks even _if_ they get the doxie mumps."

Gorsha's protuberant blue eyes widened at her words and she turned gazed at the twins. "Ah, Mari, Trev, you didn't…" she murmured sadly. Gorsha flashed a sympathetic smile at Liz, who returned it appreciatively. Gorsha's son, Iknabrie (also known as Icky) was the twins' best friend, and therefore very frequent cohort in wrong doings; the two women had a great understanding of one another. "Well, I shouldn't keep you here, then, you have a lot to do I'm sure." Another warm and understanding smile was given to Liz. "Have a good day, honey—well, at least a _better_ one."

Liz laughed a little. "Thanks, _believe_ me, thanks. And you do too. See you later." She opened the front door fully, giving a stern look to the twins who, it was very obvious, were trying to disappear from their mother's attention. "In," she ordered, her tone a high discouragement to any nonsense.

"Yes, ma'am," they replied, Trevor rather dejectedly with his head hanging. "Goodbye Mrs. Bandle."

"Bye-bye," Gorsha called. She waved once more before waddling out towards the mailbox, disappearing from sight as the twins trudged into the front hall of their home.

They paused inside the front hall again as their mother fiddled with the alarm system once more, trying to punch in the code that would prevent it from sending the buzz to the ASPD that meant something had gone terribly awry. The twins used the opportunity to scan around. They had not seen the gigantic black van that usually marked their father's return, but that hardly meant he couldn't be home. The front hall held no indications that he was back: his big overcoat wasn't hanging on its designated peg on the stairwell, there were no boot prints marring the smooth hardwood floor, and the air wasn't laced with the acrid scent of tobacco. There were only the clean floors, bright blue walls, and sunshine to greet them…at least for least for the first ten seconds or so.

"Son of a—" Liz growled as the alarm began to beep, indicating a wrong number had been pressed and she should correct it within the next few seconds if she wanted to avoid her underlings at the department showing up in SWAT vans.

"It's five, baby," a familiar voice interjected. "Five, then seven and two eights followed by the star button, remember?" All eyes shot to the top of the staircase (Liz's right after she punched in the aforementioned number sequence, of course) that could bring a smile to everyone even against Liz's foul mood. Hellboy grinned at his wife and children as he descended the stairs while rubbing the fluffy pink towel draped over one shoulder against the shower-damp nubs of his horns. He made it to the bottom before throwing the towel onto the banister and planting his hands on his hips as he eyed the twins. Trevor and Maria exchanged one furtive look before swallowing and giving full attention back to their father.

"What do we have here?" Hellboy said, continuing to stare at them with reproachful eyes; behind his black pant-legs his thick, red tail could be seen switching back and forth just as their own were doing. "Six days, that's less than a week." He sighed. "I've only been gone six days and this is what happens? Your father leaves to help the Aeglynn Alliance put to rest a couple measly mummies, with no real warmth or company except what little Uncle Abe and Uncle Steam-Face can provide, and you do _this_?" Another sigh, more gravelly than the one preceding spilled past his lips and Hellboy shook his head. "Okay, you two, come on, where is it?"

It took the twins several moments to process that last sentence, both of them had been staring down out their black dress oxfords, cheeks pinking with shame, as their father delivered his monologue with quite the flourish of guilt. They looked at each other, Trevor making a face while Maria raised one eyebrow, before turning those confused looks onto Hellboy. The red giant grinned at them.

"My hug, you little monkeys," he clarified opening his arms up wide. "You haven't seen your old man in six whole days and you don't even think he could use a hug?"

It took only a second for Trevor and Maria to recognize what he meant and in that second they had thrown down their bags and hurtled toward their father, both giving a happy shriek or two. Hellboy knelt down just before the twins would have collided with his legs, catching them both gently as they wrapped their arms around whatever part of him they could get hold of. Liz smiled as her husband and offspring became a mass of legs, tails and arms, with the occasional wet sound of the twins assaulting their father's face with kisses.

"Welcome back, Pop!" Maria giggled as her thin, tweed covered arms wrapped about Hellboy's neck.

"We missed you!" Trevor added, pressing his face to the bright red skin of his father's shoulder and inhaling the comforting scent of cigar smoke that even a shower couldn't rinse from him.

"Where's Uncle Abe, is he home too?"

"What about Uncle Johann?"

"What's it like in Tangiers, Pop?"

"How many mummies did you fight off?"

"Did you bring one of them back for research?"

"Did you bring one of them back for _us_?!"

"Ooh, _can _we have a mummy?"

"Do you think that the Alliance would let one stay with us, Pop?"

"If they do, they could have my room and I could stay with Mari!"

"Yeah! And we'd take very good care of it!"

"Definitely better than we took care of the snake…"

"Poor Skittles…"

"So _did _you bring us back a souvenir?"

Hellboy nearly fell backwards laughing, not the least put off by the verbal barrage, on the contrary their high little voices were absolute music to his ears. Maybe it was just growing up like he had, mostly alone with only adults for company but the sound of his children's laughter and chatter was perhaps the most precious thing he could ever hear. Every time he was called away, which thankfully was something he didn't have to deal with so often these days, he _ached_ for their voices. It was only by reminding himself that leaving would in some way benefit _them_ was that he was able to push himself past the threshold of his home to go on those missions and every time he crossed back over the welcome mat was the happiest moment of his life.

"I missed you guys too," he chuckled when they finally quieted, most likely from lack of breath. He stood up continuing to hold onto his kids, cradling each easily against his massive chest with one arm. "And to answer your questions…" he took a deep breath. "Uncle Abe is downstairs in his tank taking a nap before dinner and Johann is with him typing up a report. Tangiers is really kinda dirty. I didn't really fight off any mummies considering that Johann mostly just convinced them to go back to their tombs. No, neither the Alliance nor you two are going to be gaining custody of a mummy any time soon. Yes, the Skittles incident was terrible and _still_ haunts your old man. And finally, yes, I picked up some souvenirs."

The twins' eyes lit up like four amber Christmas lights. "Really?" the exclaimed together.

"I sure did!" Hellboy told them. "You guys can have _all_ the rocks that your daddy brought back from Tangiers in his boots!"

"That joke is an _antique_!" Liz cut in as the twins groaned and Hellboy laughed loudly. Her arms were crossed as they had been in Principle Braun's office but unlike earlier her eyes weren't vortexes of black warning and anger. On the contrary, the once adamantine globes had turned soft as velvet and a smile was twisting her lips, a smile that was mirrored upon the weathered scarlet face of her husband.

"Well, it's makin' you smile," Hellboy pointed out as she walked closer, stopping only when she was directly in front of him and perhaps less than an inch away.

"Ever think I might be laughing _at_ you, not _with_ you?" she countered.

"I have and I am _perfectly_ okay with that as long as still get to do this." And he promptly ducked his head down the necessary foot or so that allowed his lips to cover hers. They ignored the retching noises the twins were making for the entire duration of the kiss, oblivious to everything except one another. Finally, though, after a comment that sounded like "Ick! Cooties!" Hellboy rolled his eyes and pulled back so he could carefully set Maria and Trevor down.

"Why don't you two go play and give your mom and me about five minutes, huh?" he told them.

The twins didn't need to be told a second time, and, hardly believing their opportunity, shot towards their bags and then back to the stairs. However, before either could so much as put a toe on the first step, their mother had recovered her wits and grabbed them both by their shirt collars before they could get past her.

"Oh no you don't," she growled, pulling them backwards. "Get your tails back here. You two aren't going _anywhere_ until your father and I have discussed today with you." Discussed, of course, meant yelled, but the twins didn't need to be told that.

"Today?" Hellboy asked cocking his head to the side, catching on to his wife's displeasure and eyeing the twins as he had earlier. "What happened today?"

Neither Trevor nor Maria said a word but started staring at their shoes again, as if fascinated by the laces. This did not dissuade their father's interest in the slightest, in fact, it more or less provoked it. He knelt down again before them, this time without the grin or the open arms.

"Mari? Trev?" Hellboy asked. "What happened in school today?" His eyes were mostly locked on Trevor, the far more naturally talkative of the two and therefore the most natural choice for pulling answers. The tone of voice he used wasn't one that encouraged too much stalling with replies.

Trevor swallowed hard, still not meeting his father's eyes. "Um, well…we—we looked at some tooth fairies today in Magical Nature class!" he told Hellboy with a grin, feeling better for the fact that _technically_ it wasn't a lie.

"Trevor Abraham Broom," Liz growled warningly.

Trevor winced, his mother's voice far more fear inducing than his father's sternest face. "Okay, okay!" he said holding up his hands. The boy gave a sigh, shoving his hands into the pockets of his uniform. "_Wesetsomeofthetoothfairiesonfire_."

"What?" his father said, utterly confused by the mumbling.

"We set some of them on fire," Maria spoke up. Unlike Trevor she somehow managed to raise her head and look Hellboy in the face. "The tooth fairies, that is. We…we set a few of them on fire…Sorry." And Maria shut her mouth almost at once, eye returning to her shoes, as if the words in her had run out for the day. It wouldn't have been that surprising, considering how little she did speak most of the time.

Hellboy stared at his daughter for several moments, as if soaking in her words. He stood and took a few more moments to stare at both Maria and Trevor. Finally, after what felt like an eternity he let out a sigh, ran a hand over his face, and shook his head. For some odd reason the almost sad expression on his face as he looked down at them was far more terrible than when their mother yelled. When he finally tore his eyes from the children they found Liz's.

"Was anyone hurt?" he asked her. "Besides the tooth fairies, of course?"

Liz shook her head. "A satyr boy got his behind singed by a stray flare but Jim assured me it was really nothing," she told him. "They're getting better with their aim, apparently." That was not a compliment and the twins knew it. "They've also got detention at eight for the next two weeks. I figured we would talk about the house counterpart before dinner?"

Hellboy nodded and looked back to Maria and Trevor, who had plucked up enough courage to return the gaze. "Upstairs you two," he ordered in a voice that sounded a little tired. "Your own rooms and start on homework."

"Don't even _think_ about talking, either," Liz added. She clapped her hands, making the twins jump to attention. "Go on, right now."

Trevor and Maria heeded their mother completely and trudged upstairs without so much as a sad eyed look behind. Hellboy and Liz remained stationed at the bottom of the stairwell in silence until the sounds of footsteps above faded. They heard the closing of two doors. In the wake of their children's departure the couple looked at one another slowly, remaining quiet for several moments before they both broke into wry smiles.

"Well, it _does_ seem like their aim is getting better, doesn't it?" Hellboy asked, reaching out with his left arm to pull Liz back against him. She allowed herself to be pulled and rested her head against his chest, snaking an arm about his waist.

"Don't sound so proud," she chuckled, giving him a nudge in the ribs. "After all, they _still_ singed something they weren't intending to."

"Maybe, maybe not," he replied. "If the satyr kid was Bob Clack's son then my guess would be that their friendly fire wasn't so friendly." He snorted a bit at his joke.

"_God_ that was a bad one," she laughed, shaking her head. "Answer me honestly, do you just randomly sit around thinking up bad puns, or is this a gift I didn't know about when you put the ring on my finger?"

"Hey, it's _still_ makin' you smile," he reminded her with a sly grin.

Liz rolled her eyes. "_Okay_, and we will skip the playful banter for now and go straight to your target." She tilted her head upward and slid her hand to the side of her husband's face, pulling him to her.

"Whatever you say, Sparky," he murmured before claiming her lips for a second kiss that was not ridiculed for cooties.


	3. A Look Into The Past

**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own Hellboy or any characters originating from his universe as created by the brilliant Mike Mignola and re-envisioned by the equally talented Guillermo Del Toro. All I can lay any weak claim to within this chapter and following installments are the original characters and the storyline I dreamed up as a possible continuation to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Everything as follows has been written for pure entertainment value and I make no money for it as that would be highly unethical. Story title is taken from the name of a song by the band Placebo again no ownership claimed. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated; please enjoy the read.

**Author's Note:** First off, sorry about the update wait, I have a job and stuff that get in the way of my free writing time, so just a forewarning, I might have to be reduced to one update a week. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me through this and reviewed so far, your kind words really make me smile. Also a few details in here are essentially comic-verse but I've tweaked a bit for my own purposes, so, if you've read the comics and notice that a couple things have migrated, don't hate me too much. If you _don't_ notice said migration/tweaking/LYING well…I don't think you care then, do you? :-P Also, my introduction of homosexual characters in this chapter was _**NOT**_ done to throw some slash appeal out there, you won't be seeing said characters doing anything naughty, I don't write smut, they will not be cutesy, and they will certainly not be making out every five seconds or playing it "Emo". They are in this story because I found a convenient subplot for them, not because I feel that every story needs token gays, alright? I support gay marriage, I am the proud baby sister of a very talented drag queen, but man on man excites me about as much as cheese, people. Enjoy the read.

* * *

_Leaving the BPRD had been the easiest move that Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Johann had probably ever made. Unbuckling their locator belts, placing them in Manning's arms as he stuttered in disbelief, and then turning their backs onto all of it; there was really nothing to it. Of course, what to do after…_

_Initially they had met up with a few contacts that technically worked outside the Bureau, friends made by the group when on missions, which included such sources as the Vatican and Kate Corrigan. They took Kate's help, albeit grudgingly, considering no one had wanted to burden their friend. After a few arguments, however, which also included Kate's new husband (a plump and jovial little man who **adored** Hellboy from the comic books he'd collected of him over the years and enough in the bank to buy a few small islands) the four former "special talents" agents decided to stay with them. Kate set them up in a small house outside the main complex overlooking a small lake, which Abe enjoyed as much as he could. Hellboy and Liz were married in that little house just days afterward with Abe, of course, serving as best man and Kate standing in as maid of honor. They would laugh for **years** later about how Dominic, Kate's husband, had very well threatened the tailor hired to make Hellboy's tux with death if so much as a stitch was found to be out of place. They would laugh even hard for years later at the sight of Hellboy **in** that tuxedo. They remained there, fairly contented, just until Liz had started to show in her fourth month, then at about week twenty-eight a familiar face had shown up at their door._

_Myers had never actually been reassigned to Antarctica thanks to a jealous call from Hellboy, in fact, after the Rasputin incident the big red ape had even **liked** him. The truth of the matter was that Myers had left the Bureau for one of the most mundane reasons possible: he'd fallen in love. Two months after returning from Russia he was head over heels and when his lover had decided to leave the country for business reasons, John had followed. The night before he officially left, at his going away party (party being a loosely used term considering that it was just Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and the cats watching movies and eating pizza in Hellboy's room) John had told them that he didn't know exactly where he was going to end up on this move, which lead to Hellboy jokingly saying he'd probably end up in Antarctica. Somehow that had morphed into it was Hellboy's fault if he **did** end up living at the South Pole and when he was gone they all continued to laugh over it. The joke became a little less light when he fell out of contact with them all and the group had given him up for lost months before leaving the BPRD. Needless to say, it was a bit of a shock that April morning when Liz (fighting to keep her independence despite the new bulge on her stomach) opened up the front door and found him standing there with a few friends in tow, one of which was an elf._

_The reunion had almost gone a little messy when Liz, surprised by the elf and thinking of nothing else besides the possible vendetta that could be on her and her new husband's heads, had shrieked and ran for the nearest weapon. It didn't help when Hellboy, worried out of his mind, ran downstairs and almost took off the head of a tall, muscular, redheaded man. The near miniature war was averted when John got right in the middle shoving his face in front of Hellboy's Samaritan._

"_**STOP IT!**" the former agent yelled waving his arms around. He held his hands up to each side. "Come on! Kale, settle down he didn't mean to hit you! Liz, stop exacerbating things; you're in no condition to swing a gun. Janna ease up. Red," he looked directly up at the big demon over the massive barrel pointed at his forehead and grinned just a little. "Look, I know I didn't bring any Baby Ruth's with me, man, but I'm good for it. You know that." He reached up, placing his hand on the gun and pushed it away, Hellboy allowing it to fall to his side. John smiled a little sheepishly at his former BPRD ward and Liz. "So…Sorry I didn't make it to the wedding?" He laughed a bit. "We bought you a blender, though, and promise to be there for the Christening."_

_Hellboy looked John for a few moments, in that same way he'd done when Clay had first introduced them and for a split second it seemed like the Samaritan was going to come back up. Then, with a short laugh, Hellboy had grabbed the smaller male in a quick hug, giving him a jarring pat on the back with just a light tap of his right hand. The tension in the room could almost literally be seen running out the door._

"_Well, well, Boy Scout lives!" he chuckled looking down at John almost fondly._

"_Where've you **been**?!" Liz demanded as she took her turn giving him a hug. "What've you been doing? Over a year and no word, you're such a creep!" She gave him a slap on the arm that wasn't as playful as it looked and John quickly rubbed the spot._

"_Sorry, guys," he said in earnest. "I couldn't contact **anyone.** Really!" He added the last word on with a pleading glance toward Hellboy who'd raised a skeptic's eyebrow. "I've been working undercover below for almost nine months. I've barely been allowed to send a few words a week to Kale." He gestured behind him to the redhead that was nearly as tall as HB and roughly half the demon's mass. The big man waved a little awkwardly with the hand still holding the gun, as John glared at him he did a double-take, remembering what he was still holding and quickly holstered the weapon, a faint pink tinge visible beneath his very tan and freckly cheeks._

"_Sorry," he apologized in a very clear, deep voice with a hint of Irish brogue. He stepped forward holding out his hand past John toward Hellboy. Kale looked the demon over, grinning a little when he met Hellboy's eyes. "Geez, Johnny wasn't kiddin'! You **do** make me look like a ruddy toothpick!"_

_Hellboy stared at Kale for a second or two longer before finally laughing and shaking his hand._

"_So this is **the** Kale?" Liz asked John as she put away her gun and slid over to her husband's side. "**The** Kale with the **gorgeous** red hair and great legs?"_

_John was blushing profusely but that didn't seem to bother him so much as he said, "Yeah…We might want to make that **fantastic** legs." Liz giggled a little as she and John hugged. He looked down at her stomach once they'd parted and he grinned putting a hand very lightly against the swell that marked her very nicely developing offspring. His eyes were excited, almost like a little boy's, as he looked between her and Hellboy._

"_Is it true?" he asked, to whom it was directed at Hellboy or Liz, they couldn't be sure. "You're gonna have a baby? Well, **babies**?"_

"_Babies, I thought she was just getting fat…" Hellboy joked and was rewarded by a playful nudge in the ribs by his wife. He laughed as he held the spot. "Hey! I was only kidding!"_

"_Mmmhmm, well, **funny** men usually sleep on the couch, pal," she replied._

_John and Kale chuckled and it looked like the former was going to ask more about what had gone on in his absence but he didn't get very far. Just as John's lips began to part a throat was cleared very loudly and the couples' attention returned to John's other companions. In the back the only female, the elf, had crossed her arms and was wearing a very dry look on her face. Her companions, a group of rather ordinary looking human males, shared her mood._

"_Oops," John said with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Um, Red, Liz, these are some well…friends of mine, I suppose. They're from the A.A. that is the Aeglynn Alliance."_

_While Liz and Hellboy exchanged quizzical looks a new voice interjected rather excitedly, "Ah yes! Zee Alliance, I haf been wondering when zey would make contact wiss us." All eyes in the room turned upward to the top of the staircase where Johann had come into view and was quickly trotting down._

"_You know these people, Johann?" Hellboy asked, sounding less than pleased._

"_Nein," Johann replied as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "I would say it was a how you say…Preceding reputation?" He walked directly over to the nearest of the strangers, again the elf woman, and held out a mechanical hand to her. "Guten Tag, fräulein, I am Johann Krauss, former BPRD team Leader and researcher. Forgive me if I am being bold to assume you are Janna uasal Muir? Head of Alliance security?"_

_The elf, or perhaps she was a different species considering that upon closer examination where Nuala's eyes had been golden hers were turquoise and her hair was a true silver instead of the golden touched white of the prince and princess', held out her hand. Hellboy wasn't sure what it was, but he had a feeling that he and she wouldn't get along very well. There was a rigidness to her spine and stance that pointed her out as a soldier, which was added to by the fact she had on a uniform that was rather reminiscent of a SWAT officer's. She didn't seem to be much for smiling either, and he wouldn't have been surprised if her white face had **never** broken into one, even as a child._

"_You would be correct, Dr. Krauss," Janna said in a voice that was surprisingly light and airy (though it lacked almost any emotion). "We've heard much about you as well. I apologize for our entrance," she looked past Johann toward Liz and Hellboy giving them a stiff nod. "I attempted to find clearance for Officer Myers to approach you without any support but superiors wouldn't pass it."_

"_Jan is **very** fond of gettin' permission," Kale commented with a chuckle._

_Janna gave Kale a withered look. "**Don't** call me Jan," she told him. A fracture of annoyance split her icy composure as she added, "Honestly, I don't see **how** you got clearance for this mission. It's not a vacation, Kale."_

"_Only, 'cos you won't be a sport an' let us go swimming at that water park down the road!" Kale replied with a jaunty grin. "Come on, Jan, it'd be almost like visitin' Aunty Melusine's! You remember that summer we spent at her swamp outside a' Avignon! It was the muddiest fun we e'er had!"_

"_Kale and Janna are cousins," John explained in a whisper to Liz and Hellboy. "Their fathers are twins; it's…kind of a big deal in the magical world."_

_Hellboy looked at Liz in surprise before they both looked back at Kale and Janna, both of them suddenly noticing that the former had a pair of rather pointed ears. They looked at John at that point, who was wearing a kind of nervous smile._

"_They're half elves?"Liz asked._

_John nodded, his attention split between his friends and the argument going on between Janna and Kale. "Yeah," he told them. "Well, Kale is half-elf half-Warlock, Janna is half Naiad. They do this all the time." That last sentence was said with more than a small amount of exasperation to it, and Hellboy had to bite back a laugh as he imagined Janna attempting to wring Kale's neck at the dinner table._

"_Commander Muir, um…if we could carry on with business?" the tentative suggestion came from one of the men in the back as Janna balled her fist up, like she was about to slam it into Kale's face. At once Janna resembled a child caught doing wrong and she straightened up without so much as a last glare at Kale._

"_Of course, forgive me, Chancellor Roedeck," she said with a bow to the men behind her. Her voice took on an almost pompous air when she began to "Dr. Krauss, Mr. and Mrs. Bruttenholm, we at the Aeglynn Alliance would like to discuss with you the incident in Ireland in which you very bravely fended off the reanimation of the Golden Army. We would also like to extend the most humble of invitations to you three and one Mr. Abraham Sapien for your acquiescence in returning to the most noble house of Aeglynn for a period that would preferentially be very long, seeing as you're no longer in affiliation with the United States Branch of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense."_

"_The non-git translation of that'd be," Kale interjected when his cousin had finished, giving her a rather rude roll of the eyes, "thanks for stoppin' Nuada, he was a real crazy git. We've been hopin' to talk to you all for awhile now but considering the BPRD and our set aren't too keen on one another it's been a work in progress. We'd like you to come with us." Kale's eyes, which, oddly enough, were the exact same shade of blue-green that his cousin's were, turned soft and warm as he smiled at Liz, Johann, and Hellboy. "We'd like for you to come to Aeglynn, come **home**, where we all belong."_

"_Aeglynn…?"Hellboy murmured, more or less to himself, feeling in the pit of his stomach that he'd heard that name somewhere before._

"_It means zee "Tree Father" in old Elfish, does it not, Fräulein Muir?" Johann asked. At once Hellboy found himself thinking back to puppets and he remembered._

"_In the shade of Aeglynn, the father tree…" he whispered only to himself, though, by the way Liz was glancing at him out of the corner of her eye he thought she might have heard._

"_Yes," Janna said to Johann, with another one of her sharp nods._

"_Our city was founded beneath its branches and surrounds it," another one of the men standing in the back, a short, toady looking fellow wearing an uncomfortable looking suit and bowler hat, informed them. "It is a haven, a refuge of sorts, even, for those like us."_

"_Like us?" Hellboy questioned._

"_Yes, dear boy, **us**," the squat man reaffirmed. "You, Commander Muir, Officer Muir, Mr. Krauss, Mr. Sapien, your wife, **and** the rest of my colleagues along with myself." He smiled slightly and as he did the very air around he and the three other men began to move. At first it was a simple sort of haze, like hot air rising out of an oven, but then it all eventually moved together until the men seemed to blur into one another. After a serious amount of blinking on Hellboy and Liz's parts they looked in complete wonder to see that the men John, Kale, and Janna had escorted to them were now very different._

"_You see, my boy, we know a thing or two about not fitting in so well to the human world," the toady man, who now resembled an amphibian a **lot** more than he had beforehand, said._

"_There are humans in Aeglynn too," John said, taking their attention back and trying not to look too pleased by the surprise upon Hellboy's face. "Like me and you, Liz. We're definitely the minority but…" He glanced over his shoulder at Kale. "I never feel out of place."_

"_Lovely sentiment, Heart, but I have to correct you here," Kale said patting his lover on the shoulder. He looked Liz up and down, almost appraisingly before shaking his head. "You ain't all human, girly."_

_Liz's jaw dropped while Hellboy said, "**Excuse** me?"_

"_She's not," Kale said with a shrug of his big shoulders. "She certainly in'it a full blood but from what I've been told about her makin' a few sparks she's not all human. Pyromancy without incantation or enchanted magnifier is an Elemental Talent." He grinned at Liz who was continuing to look at him as if he was growing a second head even as he spoke. "You got a bit a Warlock in you, Lizzie."_

"_He's right, utterly unbelievable as that is," Janna told them dryly, crossing her arms. To Liz, she said almost kindly, "There are a few others like you in Aeglynn. Pyromancers, that is. It's a pretty rare trait even in Warlocks, there's never telling when it could show up in a family. It could be ten or more generations back."_

"_Others like me…" Liz murmured looking down at her hands; Hellboy knew she was envisioning the flames she could call there. The heartrending expression that crossed her face made him ache and he squeezed her shoulder. Looking up at him he could tell that the exact same thoughts were running through their heads. A place filled with others like them, other beings and people cast out or voluntarily absent by the so called "normal" world for differences that they could not help but made them wonderful in their own way. A place where they could walk freely without the lingering fear of thrown stones and dirty looks. A place where the children they were preparing to bring into the world could possibly avoid all the pain and trials that their parents had already endured in mad attempts to simply live and breathe. Instinctively Liz moved her hand to cover her stomach and found that her husband's was already there, barely a weight against the black fabric of her shirt._

"_Sounds too good to be true," Hellboy grunted, desperately trying not to give into the hope that he felt was almost being dangled before him, like cheese to a hamster on a wheel. "What's the catch? What are we gonna have to do? Have to give up?"_

"_Red," John said stepping closer and placing his hand upon the stony wrist of Hellboy's right hand. His eyes, still rather large and naïve for a man nearly thirty echoed with a truth that had made Hellboy like him in the first place; even if he tagged him with the moniker of "Boy Scout" for it. "It **is** good and it **is** true, believe me. It's not perfect, it's not Utopia or a new Eden, it's just a city filled with folks that I love. And if you just let me show you, I think that you may just feel the same way about it. Trust me, Red."_

_And he did and until the day he died Hellboy had no regrets about following John into Aeglynn. Even if he **had** come unannounced and without any candy._


	4. A Simple Kind of Life Pt 3

**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own Hellboy or any characters originating from his universe as created by the brilliant Mike Mignola and re-envisioned by the equally talented Guillermo Del Toro. All I can lay any weak claim to within this chapter and following installments are the original characters and the storyline I dreamed up as a possible continuation to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Everything as follows has been written for pure entertainment value and I make no money for it as that would be highly unethical. Story title is taken from the name of a song by the band Placebo again no ownership claimed. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated; please enjoy the read.

* * *

Despite the fact that her feelings were still smarting from her parents' combined disappointment and displeasure, Maria couldn't help but feel a little relieved that it was all out in the open. The punishment that her parents would inevitably give didn't weigh upon her half as much as the anticipation of them finding it all out. Besides, she already knew the most probable form of reprisal for their misbehavior: grounding for the duration of the school's detentions. It was what her father considered the harshest of punishments not only because of the toll it would take on she and Trevor but for what it would take on _him_ as well_._ Her father _hated_ to ground them inside.

Maria frowned as she dropped her school bag onto her neatly made bed before making a b-line for the clothes she'd laid out earlier that morning, throwing off her uniform with much enthusiasm. _Especially _that blasted skirt with its frivolous little pleats. Maria did not feel that she ought to be classified as a tomboy, the term, to her at least, meant a brash, foul mouthed, child constantly trying to one-up her male counterparts and that really didn't describe the quiet, calm, and almost eerily rational child of Liz and Hellboy. She really just hated skirts; a lot. Stupid, useless things continually slowing her down. And the color pink, she'd never liked that color, but she didn't suppose that was so odd considering her mother didn't like it either.

As she shed the bland gray skin forced upon her during school hours and pulled on the much preferred T-shirt and jeans, she found herself facing the mirror attached to the back of the door which joined her room to Trevor's. She turned her slender right arm, flexing the thin muscles beneath the skin as she studied the markings that went from shoulder to wrist. They were a pale sort of red, a series of curls; her Uncle Abe had described them as "runes", identical to the indentations that adorned her father's arm right up until the stone that made up his hand. These markings had only started to form within the last year and a half on both she and Trevor, coming in slowly, almost if bleeding faintly into place from the underside of the skin so until it resembled a watermark on the twins' flesh.

Those markings had settled less with their father than even the horns that were just barely nubs beneath Maria and Trevor's bangs. Initially neither twin really understood what his displeasure was with their non-human body parts, his strange looks at their tails and winces he gave when seeing their horns, it wasn't as if they'd be ridiculed at school for it. The Aeglynn Junior Academy provided them with satyrs, centaurs, merpeople, goblins, trolls, elves, and every other sort of creature that the so called "normal" world would ordain as freaks as their classmates. They could be teased for their tails and horns, of course, but at the same time a boy like their friend Icky would be made fun of for resembling a cross between a baby hippo and a boulder, and Billy Clack would be for having furry knees.

She and her brother had asked about the markings several times and why her parents were so averse to them (especially their father) but they were either ignored, told they weren't old enough, or that it was of no real concern. Personally, Maria didn't care so much about any of it; she trusted her mother and father enough to feel they'd get to it one day, Trevor on the other hand…

"Is yours getting darker too?" her brother asked right on cue, stepping through the doorway as she sat down at her desk chair. He was dressed exactly as she was blue jeans and a gray T-shirt with a picture of a griffon on the front, holding his right arm out. Trevor's attention split for a moment when he caught sight of Maria and her attire, she made a face as well.

"Man, I thought for _sure_ today I'd be able to change it…" he said with an irritable frown.

"You thought wrong, apparently," she told him dully.

Trevor and Maria did not know why or how but whenever they picked out their own clothes they had the strange luck of almost always choosing the exact same outfit. It was a rather irritating event, especially when they were _trying_ to show people how different they were, which, was happening more often than not as of late. It wasn't that they were tired of one another, they were twins, after all, they shared _everything_ and more likely than not, always would. But they were _not_ the same person and at times tired of being equated as a package set like matching salt 'n' pepper shakers.

"Oh well…" Trevor sighed shaking his head before holding his arm out again and going over to his twin. He grabbed her right arm, pressing it against his own to compare the markings. "They've gotten darker, right?" he asked her rather excitedly. "You see it too?"

Maria raised an eyebrow at her brother as she jerked her arm from his grasp, making it more than clear she did indeed _not_ see what he did. "They look the same as they did last week, the week before that, and the month before _that_, Trev," she said.

Trevor rolled his eyes, like he was shaking off her stupidity. "Oh come _on_, Mari," he said crossing his arms in a way that made him look more like their mother than Maria knew he'd ever like to hear. "This is _huge_!" He opened his arms up suddenly to express the enormity of the situation, Maria didn't exactly feel it. He grinned excitedly, now resembling their father, and bounced on the balls of his feet as he gingerly ran his fingers over the wrist on his right hand. "When do you think it's gonna turn all red and stony, like Pop's?"

"I don't," Maria said, very honestly, pulling her knees up to her chin. Ever since the markings had started to come in Trevor had been convinced that the two of them were transforming into full demons like their father. Any day now they were going to wake up and be very red and very big with enormous stone hands. In short they were going to turn into him, or so Trevor thought. Maria didn't exactly have a problem with looking like her father, she didn't mind the tail, horns, or the new birthmark that he'd passed onto them but she also really didn't believe they'd start resembling him any more than they already did. It was just a feeling but Maria's _feelings_ usually turned out right and her father had always told her to trust her gut; so in short she wouldn't be counting on her right hand turning to granite any time soon.

"We're _us_ Trev," she said, almost sternly as she got to her feet. "I don't see why you're so unhappy with that."

Trevor glared at her, the fire in his eyes bringing him back to that very Liz look. "I'm not unhappy!" he hissed, his small hands curling into fists at his sides which nearly at once began to burn.

Maria blinked at the anger radiating off of her twin. He didn't usually get so angry that flames appeared, and especially not at her. For one, Maria was the person who understood him best and that he cared for the most, anger shown to her was just like anger shown to himself. For two it wasn't like he could _burn_ her, much like their father the twins had a certain immunity to extreme heat. They'd found this out when at age four, Trevor and Maria, already showing quite the gift for mischief making, set a bowl of kerosene a flame in the backyard garden shed (they had been attempting to make a "lake of fire" for a toy sailboat to cross). The shed and a good four foot radius around it had went up but aside from a few smudge on marks their noses the twins were unscathed by the whole thing. Their mother had still spanked them within an inch of their lives and their father could barely talk to them for a day, though.

"Really?" she asked, refusing to flinch from her brother's fiery display of temper. "You have a funny way of showing it, Trev. Don't catch your pants on fire." And she turned from him; put her back completely to him as she crossed the room to her backpack. She ignored his grumbling as she pulled out a few textbooks and notepads then began looking for her pencils. Maria got very absorbed in her pencil hunting and it didn't even register to her that Trevor had stayed in the room until she felt a small, familiar weight upon her arm. Looking over her shoulder Maria found her own eyes and face etched with sorrow. The cold lump of anger she'd been holding towards her twin melted almost at once and wordlessly she covered his hand with her own, telling him in her own way that he was forgiven.

"Do you want help with your homework?" he asked after the moment had passed and he'd taken a seat on her bed while Maria took her school things to her desk.

She shook her head. "No thanks, Trev, I won't learn anything if you do it for me," she said, and meaning it. Trevor, for all his hotheadedness and impatience was a brilliant student and Maria had no jealousy in her when admitting him as the smarter twin. She was no dunce herself but numbers, ideas, and facts came to him so terribly easy that there was no competing for her against him. Their teachers and parents had been discussing moving him ahead a few grades for years now but Trevor's attitude and behavior kept him in line with his age group and the little incident today would certainly not help him move up.

"Meh, it'd be something for _me_ to do though," he said dully, kicking at nothing on the floor. "I finished all mine while we were waiting for Mom in the outer office."

"What about those trigonometry problems Professor Hasithfar gave you?" Maria asked as she opened up her math textbook and started to figure out the first of ten long division problems assigned for that nights work. "Did you finish them?"

"Yep," he replied. "Last night. They weren't that difficult, really."

Maria glanced at Trevor from the corner of her eye; she paused halfway through her second problem to lay her pencil down and stare at her brother. "You know, sometimes, Trev, I think you _want_ to stay back," she said with a pointed look.

For less than a second Trevor's face paled, revealing a sliver of terror and vulnerability, but it was quickly covered by a haughty laugh and eye roll. Still, Maria had seen that sliver and there would be no fib or cover her brother could give to persuade her differently. He was probably going to attempt that too, when the sound of footsteps up the stairs made them both freeze.

"Crap!" Trevor hissed bolting for the door to his room. "Stay cool!" Maria rolled her eyes at this but didn't point out to her brother the absolute uselessness of telling the _sensible_ twin to remain calm. He had just shut the door behind him when hers came open and a familiar face peeked in.

"Hullo, Poppet," Mrs. Muir, their housekeeper and mother of the twins' "Uncle" Kale, greeted Maria with a bright smile. "Studyin' hard are we?" Mrs. Muir was a lot like her son red-headed, freckle-faced, a thick Irish accent, a constant grin, and very tall. Though, while Kale was rather muscle-bound his mother was plump and far less intimidating if you didn't know them. Of course she could be _entirely_ more intimidating than Kale if you made her angry, something even Trevor was hesitant to do. He'd made the full blooded lady Warlock angry only once, when he stole some freshly baked cookies off a tray Mrs. Muir had told him specifically not to touch. He had never disclosed the full details of the five minutes he spent in the broom closet with her afterward, even to Maria, but he _never_ disobeyed her again. For that reason alone Mrs. Muir was Liz's personal hero, though, she was already Hellboy's considering that she managed to keep up with feeding him (the fact that she had plenty of magical assistance in that was a big part, everyone was sure).

"Yes, ma'am," Maria said returning the smile.

"Yer mummy and daddy said you weren't to come downstairs until suppertime but they _did_ say I could bring you and Trev a lil' somethin' to tide ye over," Mrs. Muir told her. She clapped her hands and at once a plate of cookies and a tall glass of milk was sitting on Maria's desk, right beside her math book. It may have seemed like a lot for an after school snack but the twins had large appetites, though not _nearly _as large as their father's (if that had been the case no one could see keeping up with the Bruttenholm household).

"Thank you, Mrs. Muir," Maria said right before shoving a whole cooking into her mouth and chewing at it ferociously.

Mrs. Muir chuckled. "Chew, don't just swallow the whole thin', and ye're welcome, Mari, dear," the older woman told her before backing out of the room. "Remember to bring the plate and glass with ye when you come downstairs for supper, love."

"M'kay," Maria said between mouthfuls of cookie number two. Mrs. Muir laughed again before shutting the door. Alone again, Maria turned back to her long division problems. She had finished up number six when she heard the adjoining door creek and Trevor hiss for her attention. She sighed inwardly, preparing to tell him she would _not_ be participating in any breakouts he may be think of at the moment, and turned about in her seat. Trevor's face, however, was not alight with any schemes, on the contrary it was abnormally pensive and that shadow of apology he'd shown her earlier was there.

"Thank you," he told her solemnly, honestly, the rawness of it all almost surprising her. "Really, Mari. I'm sorry I never seem to do much more than get you in trouble." He looked away, sadness taking residence in his pale face. "I don't see why you put up with me…"

Maria smiled, knowing just what this was costing her twin on terms of pride to come out and say. Not wanting to spoil the moment with something as soft and silly as a hug she only smiled until he finally looked at her. His eyes roved her face searching for absolution in the lines of the face he himself wore and she willingly handed it over.

"Because, dummy," she told him, pretending that she didn't notice his red nose and shiny eyes, "I love you; we're twins, we've _gotta_ stick together." She laughed a little. "Right?"

Trevor nodded emphatically for several seconds before trusting his voice to utter, "R-right."

Maria smiled at her brother one last time before returning yet again to her long division problems. "Go away now," she told him. "_You_ may have cleared things up already on your end but I still have this and that paragraph for Professor Roedeck to finish up. I wanna be done before supper."

"You sure you don't wanna break out?" Trevor ventured slyly. "You've got the jumping skills, you take some rope to the elm tree and throw it back to my window—"

"_Out_, Trev," Maria ordered. She was grinning to herself as her twin closed the door, though, jumping for the tree outside her window _would_ be good dexterity test…


	5. A Simple Kind of Life Pt 4

**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own Hellboy or any characters originating from his universe as created by the brilliant Mike Mignola and re-envisioned by the equally talented Guillermo Del Toro. All I can lay any weak claim to within this chapter and following installments are the original characters and the storyline I dreamed up as a possible continuation to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Everything as follows has been written for pure entertainment value and I make no money for it as that would be highly unethical. Story title is taken from the name of a song by the band Placebo again no ownership claimed. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated; please enjoy the read.

**Author's Note**: So _Doomsday_ came out on the 29th and I can NOT stop watching it; I saw it back when it was in theaters and Eden Sinclair is my new favorite movie heroine. Why? Well, because, Eden Sinclair has a digital eyeball and can swordfight as well as snipe. Hooray digital eyeballs! Okay…I'm done, sorry guys, just had to spread the _Doomsday_ love-age. On with what you actually came for.

* * *

"Well, at least now you know that their aim is improving if nothing else," Abe said from the confines of his tank in the basement/library/lab of the home he shared with Liz, Hellboy, their progeny, and, of course, Johann. It wasn't as impressive of a room as what Professor Broom had set up back at their old home (or gilded cage, depending on how you wanted to look at it) but it was still very nice. The shelves were lined with enough books to keep Abe happy, most of which had been donated by Desian and Darien Muir, Kale's uncle and father. The lab equipment had belonged to Johann personally and the Bureau had been able to make very little fuss when he, along with an attachment from the APD had returned to Newark to reclaim it all.

Liz, who had been on of one of the sofas in the underground room, gave him a reproving look that caused the fish-man to swim a few feet back. "That's really not one of the things that concern me at the moment, Abe," she said as she crossed her arms.

"Aw, now, Lizzie, he's just tryin' ta look on the bright side," Kale told her in his usual playful manner. He was most likely the only person who could tease her when she was edging on a foul mood, perhaps because her glaring did little to frighten him, either because he was oblivious or just enamored with dangerous living. Most likely it was a combination considering as those fiery black spheres fell upon him he started to chuckle which caused Liz to hit him with a throw pillow rather forcefully from the arm of John's chair, where he'd been perching about a foot away, landing with a "THUNK". The fall, however, didn't so much as graze Kale's temper and he continued to chuckle as he stood and dusted himself off.

"Well, someone's got a little bit of a temper this evenin'," he laughed. "Oye! Red, yer lass is beatin' on me!"

Hellboy, who was relaxing in his own oversized armchair close to Abe's tank, a copy of the Aeglynn Times comic section in his left hand, gave a derisive snort. "Hey, fight your own battles, Kale; I'm not sleeping on the couch 'cause of you." He flipped the page he'd been reading. "'Sides, if she's beating on you doesn't that just give 'Scout a reason to kiss your booboos?"

"Don't even think about it," John said without looking up from his laptop even as his spouse's head turned toward him. Kale stuck out his lower lip in a way very reminiscent of Trevor as Hellboy and Abe laughed.

"I am _so_ loved, I'll tell ya what," he grumbled, walking over to flop down on the couch Liz occupied, as if trying to get a rise out of John by moving away. It didn't work as the former BPRD liaison continued to type up whatever report he had due for work, not even glancing in Kale's direction. Seeing quickly that he wasn't going to get any further attention for pouting, his jovial mood quickly resurfaced and he turned back toward Liz. "Come on, it ain't all that bad. Kids and mischief just _go_ together, it's normal, Li'l sister."

"_Normal_ kids don't set things on fire with a thought," Liz countered.

"Not with a thought, no, I'll grant ya, that," Kale said with grin. "Now with lighters, matches, or perhaps some Salamander blood…"

"You're not helping, Kale," she told him.

"Really," Hellboy added.

Kale sighed and shook his head. "S'not my point," the warlock said as he leaned forward in his seat so that his elbows rested on his knees.

"Oh dear, he's got a point, watch out world," John quipped, again without looking up from his computer screen.

"The peanut gallery will hush now, _please_," Kale retorted with a very unthreatening glare to his husband. His face shifted quickly as he looked between Liz and Hellboy with his sharp, turquoise eyes. "My _point_ is that you two worry a helluva lot more than ya should." Kale reached over quickly to place a hand gently on Liz's arm, surprisingly causing her to close her mouth even as it opened. He sometimes had this effect on Liz, the two of them, despite the previous bickering, were actually quite close. When their "family" had first moved to Aeglynn Kale had brought in one of his uncles to personally tutor Liz in Pyromancy, which proved to have been perhaps _the_ most helpful thing anyone had ever done concerning her powers. Besides that Kale had hung around during all the training sessions, helped her to practice, and answered each and every question she had about the Warlock race. He even helped her do a genealogical search for the Warlock who had, at some point, added their genes to her family tree. They hadn't come up with much, but the effort had really won Liz's trust and Hellboy's as well. So even as foolishly as he acted on occasion, when Kale had something to say, they usually tried to listen.

"Look," Kale continued looking from Liz to Hellboy. "Mari and Trev are part demon, _okay_. But trust me, they aren't _acting_ like li'l devils, they're _acting_ like normal children, especially by Aeglynn standards. _And_ considerin' that Aeglynn _is_ where they live, they're really just fine. Also I'm not done so close it, Red," his cool green-blue eyes shot to Hellboy who'd begun to open his mouth. Like Liz Hellboy swallowed what he'd been ready to say and Kale spoke on. "The more you lot act like there's something _wrong_ with them kits, the more _they_ will believe something's wrong with 'em, and I don't think that's the path you wanna take. So why don't _you_," he looked primarily at Liz, "stop worryin' so much about 'em burnin' the world to a crisp. A: they've already started trainin' with their gift so they _won't_ have your troubles, and B: _trust 'em a li'l, Lizzie_. That part goes for you too, ya big ape," his eyes flicked over to Hellboy. "They're _your_ kits; you're both damn good people and s'long as ya teach 'em what is good and what ain't without turnin' medieval on their tails then you got _nothin'_ to bellyache about."

He took time to give both parent's a very hard, knowing sort of look, which, surprisingly, made them both duck their heads down a little as if ashamed. This abashed moment passed quickly, however, as John, finally roused from whatever he was typing looked up with large eyes and almost in surprise said, "Good God, you _do_ talk sense sometimes."

Kale's serious face faded at once and he winked at John. "'A course I do. Ain't that what ya married me for?"

John looked back down at his keyboard and smiled slyly, though he was blushing profusely as he replied, "No. I can definitely say I married you for—err—_other _reasons, honey. The talking sense was just a pleasant surprise."

While Liz and Abe erupted in a fit of laughter Hellboy pointedly brought his papers back up to hide his face (though his half-giggled snorts were obvious anyway). Kale, unperturbed, only grinned in response to the comment and slid off the couch. Sauntering over to John's chair (which considering how big Kale was made it _twice_ as comical as it normally would have been) he perched back on the arm and put an arm over his husband's shoulders.

"So does that 'pleasant surprise' put ya in the mind to start our own family, then, love?" he asked, still grinning in his lopsided way.

John continued to smile but again, he kept his eyes locked downward on his word processor. "Baby, if magic has a way for two men to procreate than I'm all for it—as long as _you_ carry it."

There was a slight thump as Liz slid off the couch from laughing so hard and Hellboy was shaking while pressing the funny papers to his face as he tried to remain quiet. Abe had gone out of sight but from the many bubbles that were coming up from a hidden corner of his tank, it was an easy guess that he was as amused as everyone else. Everyone except Kale, of course, while everyone laughed _he_ seemed to have attempted to picture just what it would be like to do as John suggested and was making the most _hilarious_ face of imagined pain while covering the front of his pants with his hands.


	6. Another Look Into The Past

**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own Hellboy or any characters originating from his universe as created by the brilliant Mike Mignola and re-envisioned by the equally talented Guillermo Del Toro. All I can lay any weak claim to within this chapter and following installments are the original characters and the storyline I dreamed up as a possible continuation to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Everything as follows has been written for pure entertainment value and I make no money for it as that would be highly unethical. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated; please enjoy the read. Also a very, very, big "Thank You" to my wonderful—_patient—_beta, Joelle Hart, you're _so_ awesome!

**Author's Note:** *Looks around a bit nervously* Well, I _did_ mention that I'd be a little more sparse on my updates last chapter didn't I? *Nervous laugh* Look, guys, I'm trying but as they say "shit is hard". I'm in college, I work a lot to _pay_ for said college, but honestly I am trying, so, for those of you still with me, I'm sorry this took so long. More is coming and I am still alive, you can all thank Joelle Hart for being my wonderful beta and sounding board through all of this too. Also can't recall if I responded to reviews for last chapter—probably didn't—I am very sorry and allow me to rectify this by giving a BIG thank you to MargotTenn, ChibiLover123, questique, bookfreak13, Cocoa Jamboree, meta scythe, and Joelle Hart. You make me smile. I hope you enjoy chapter six, guys.

* * *

_December 24__th__, 10 years prior…_

"I miss my feet."

The phrase passed through the ample hospital room for what had to be the thousandth time that day. Despite the fact that it was repeated so often one could set their watch by it, it _still_ caused Hellboy to stand up from his chair and rush to placate his very frustrated wife. He reached out gently with his left hand and rubbed her stomach, which was quite swollen with their unborn children.

"_When_ are they going to get their heads out of their asses and just do the C-section already?" Liz whined. "I feel like I've been carrying these brats for _years_."

Hellboy wanted to chuckle at that irate comment, but he _knew_ better than to indulge the urge, and only continued to rub while pressing a quick kiss to Liz's forehead.

"Come on, Sparky, it won't be that much longer," he assured her. "Another week and we'll have the little monsters screaming and kicking on the outside. Let's enjoy the quiet while we got it, huh? You know, considering these _are_ our kids, we're pretty much guaranteed to never have a restful night again, right?"

"I'm prepared for all that, thanks," she replied. "Mommy will be quite happy to never sleep again as long as she can walk again, and _soon_. I look like a manatee."

Hellboy laughed at that and kissed her quickly. "If you say so, babe," he chuckled. "But I have to say, you are the most beautiful and charming manatee I've ever met."

"Don't call me babe," she said, trying not to smile and giving him a half-hearted push on the arm.

Hellboy didn't say anything back to her; he simply kept his left hand moving in a constant clockwise motion over the swell of his wife's stomach. Though nothing passed Liz's lips aside from a sigh, Hellboy knew that the gesture was very much appreciated by the way that his wife's dark eyes fluttered shut and she relaxed against the pillows. He kept it up for quite awhile, until the telltale deep breathing and snores of sleep had claimed her, and even for some time after. Sighing under his breath, he pulled his hand back with one final pat to Liz's belly, hoping that their children understood that their mother needed some rest and would let her have it. By the absence of forceful little kicks beneath his hand he could only assume that they would indeed grant Liz a few hours' sleep. He hoped she got her money's worth of that; he hadn't really been kidding when he mentioned them taking the peace and quiet while it was still up for grabs. Hellboy was no psychic, but he didn't really _need_ to be one to know that the soon-to-be twins were going to keep them on their toes; they were _his_ kids after all.

Pushing his chair away from the bedside, Hellboy took the opportunity to stretch his legs and back muscles, all very quietly, of course. He winced as something in his back popped, and glanced fretfully over at Liz. She continued to snore unperturbed, and he bit back a sigh of relief; he'd rather chop of his tail than disturb his wife.

Now that the only thing in the world that warranted his concern these days was fast asleep, Hellboy decided to indulge his very angry stomach. He'd been eating sparsely ever since Liz had checked into the hospital a week ago. Needless to say, that particular organ was not pleased with him. Oddly enough, with all the worrying and planning going on, he'd been ignoring his normally massive hunger so well he was sure it was medal-worthy. Right now, though, as he was unoccupied save for his thoughts, Hellboy's gut was back in control and very ready for attention, so after leaving a note on Liz's nightstand he started the far too long trudge down to the Aeglynn Hospital cafeteria.

He didn't like hospitals and therefore he didn't like leaving anyone he cared about alone in a hospital, and so his intentions were to shovel in several buckets of whatever slop the hospital was daring to call food that Saturday and run back to the room before Liz could wake up. Those plans were altered when the elevator doors opened.

"Hey, Red!" As the metal doors slid apart, Kale stepped out with what was probably John, though the former BPRD agent was currently hidden behind what could have been the _biggest_ bouquet of flowers Hellboy had ever seen. He blinked a few times as he looked down at John, then over to Kale. The big redhead chuckled and shook his head, as if to say he didn't quite know either.

"Scout, were you eaten by a demon or you just mergin' with a rose bush?" Hellboy asked. He flagged an eyebrow as he pushed a few stems and blossoms out of the way so he could see John's pale face.

"Nah, Red. I think he may be baby-sittin' my cousin Flora's latest spawn, though," Kale said. "Bloody dryads are pushy when they want to be."

The shorter man rolled his eyes. "_Ha-ha_, you're both comic genius, _really_," John drawled. Adjusting the flowers in his arms so that he could see the two other men, he smiled. "These are from the A.A., by the way. I'm just playing delivery boy. Though, I _may_ have dropped a hint your wife really likes yellow roses and lilacs."

"I'm sure she'll like it, Scout," Hellboy told him. "Or she will, when she wakes up."

"Ah, that explains why you've left the room, then," John chuckled. "Mom's asleep so Dad has to go forage."

"Damn straight," Hellboy said, an agreement that was quickly accompanied by a very loud gargle from his stomach. After the initial looks of surprise the three men laughed a little, John trying to do so without getting a lilac stem up his nose.

"Well, we won't keep you by any means," John said, stepping off the elevator and allowing the half-demon entrance while Kale kept his finger on the door-open button. "I have a scar or two to remind me just how cranky someone can be if he doesn't get fed on time."

"Hey, for the last time, the barbecue fork was an accident, Scout." Hellboy feigned a scowl at the former agent. "Come on, if I'd been aiming for you, you would have lost the arm."

"Mmhmm, whatever pal. The nearly twenty stitches I had in my bicep sing a different tune," John said. He switched his playfully irate scowl over to his husband. "Come on, Kale, you're standing too close to Earth's own personal black hole."

"You go on, Johnny. I think I'll keep Red company, if he doesn't mind," the Irishman said. "I figure the less of us in the room, the better chance Lizzie has a' sleepin' nice an' sound."

"Have it your way," John said. "For the love of God, though, sit on your hands while he has silverware in his."

"You're never gonna let that go, are ya?" Hellboy groused.

"Nope," John said, flashing a broad grin as the elevator doors slid shut.

"Your husband's a freakin' milker, you know that, right?" Hellboy growled to his companion.

Those sharp, blue-green eyes shot over to the tall half-demon as a cocky grin played upon his lips. "Red, I dunna think you _really_ want me to say anythin' in retort to that," he chuckled. "We're friends an' all but—"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Hellboy said holding up his left hand. "Don't prompt you to innuendo unless I want my psyche scarred, gotcha."

The chuckle from Kale was the only conversational noise to punctuate the air for the next several minutes. Things remained companionable but silent between them as they made their way from the elevator, into the cafeteria—where Hellboy filled up several trays that Kale helped to carry—and finally to a table. Hellboy was very grateful to have made friends with the A.A. already, considering the jobs they had given to him, Liz, Johann, and Abe, the house they'd helped them find and purchase, _and_ the warm acceptance of the magical community. But all of that _tripled_ when it came to his food. Every detail of Liz's stay in the hospital was on the A.A.'s dime, and that included keeping him fed. He honestly didn't know how he would cope with all the stress brought on with the arrival of the twins if he was hungry on top of it, so Hellboy ate more than enough to quell the rumble in his stomach and was thankful for it, even if it _did_ taste like mediocre slop at the very best.

"Johann wanted me to let you know he got all of his personal possessions back from the BPRD without a hitch," Kale said, after a few moments of allowing Hellboy to eat in peace. "He also wanted me to reassure ya that he an' Janna were gonna have all renovations to the library done by the time you an' Lizzie make it home with the li'l ones." He smiled in that warm inviting way that could melt just about anyone's reservations—save perhaps his acrimonious cousin, of course—and chuckled as he toyed with his coffee cup. "Those two are a right unstoppable force when ya put 'em together, ya know? A bureaucracy bulldozer."

Hellboy laughed and shook his head. "Great, that can only mean it'll be twice as annoying at the end of the day," he said between bites of what Aeglynn Hospital let pass as meatloaf.

"Maybe. I dunna think Jan's too annoyin', to be honest. Well I don't!" He tacked the last sentence on rapidly at Hellboy's disbelieving stare. "Look, my cousin can be a stick, I'll be the first to admit to that, but Jan's got a good heart an' in the end that's what counts. Besides," he added with a twinkle in his eye that Hellboy had very much come to like, as well as beware, in the last few months, "Jan is a _riot_ after a few pints of rum." The red giant guffawed again; Janna uasal Muir was the _last_ person he could picture drinking. Of course, he had known her little over five months and spent very little time in her company anyway; he was a bit too busy with a pregnant wife and relocating his life to a mythical city under the radar. Still, what little time he had spent with Janna had not been pleasant. She wasn't as annoying as Johann could be at certain times, but she was much less of a people person too. In seventeen weeks he had yet to see her smile or laugh even once.

He didn't really want to focus on Kale's cousin, though. For one, he wasn't the most couth of people, and offending the Halfling over his rigid relative was the very last thing he wanted to do; not only because Liz might strangle him but because Kale was quickly becoming family. Besides, there were a few things on his mind more pressing than Janna. Specifically someone, a much missed someone with gills, who hadn't been to the hospital more than once since Liz's admittance last Sunday.

"How's Abe doin'?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible, hoping that even if Kale caught onto the worried vibe in his voice, he wouldn't make anything of it. "He um…hasn't been around, ya know."

Hellboy's hopes were apparently granted. Kale didn't tease him for worrying unnecessarily or make even the slightest mention that he suspected fear in his voice. Kale only smiled a little and said, "He's doin' a'right, Red. Been workin' a lot on the new house, painting, organizing, all that sort. Said he wants everythin' perfect for when the li'l ones come home."

The half-demon gave an automatic nod and half a smile, as if it was all well. Abe was not the same man—well _fish_-man—since their family had left Ireland. It was understandable, of course. He had just lost the only woman he'd ever loved; he was more than allowed to grieve and withdraw. Still, it didn't settle well to see such a warm person become so distant from his loved ones, especially when they were preparing to do something as monumental as bringing life into the world. In the midst of all the joy that surrounded him, Hellboy still missed his best friend.

"So," Kale interrupted those melancholy tinged thoughts, "been thinkin' of names for the younglings?"

Caught a little off guard by the sudden question amidst his inner concerns for Abe, Hellboy had to shake his head and think a moment over Kale's words. "Huh—Oh, names, oh yeah," he replied with a vigorous nod. "Yeah we've been…talking over a few." It was mostly a half-truth; he and Liz _had_ talked about names for their kids—once or twice. With leaving the BPRD, moving twice, and settling in the new country, they hadn't really had the time to sit down and chat about it, shameful as it probably was considering Liz was almost to term. Also, Liz was a little on the superstitious side and didn't want to know the sex of the children lest it provoke fate. He did know that if they had a son he wanted his father's name to be carried on. Liz agreed wholeheartedly; as much as Professor Bruttenholm had meant to her as well, she couldn't help but to do so. Abraham was another very likely pick, if there were two boys. But girls…Katherine, perhaps, after Corrigan. The name Nuala had passed through his head once or twice, but Hellboy didn't think that Abe would like the sentiment, not with the way he ached over the elfin maid.

Altogether, Hellboy honestly didn't know how he felt about girls. As a man who had experienced mostly sparse feminine influence on his life—all the women who worked for the Bureau weren't exactly genteel ladies—he wasn't sure what he would do with a daughter or two. Liz was definitely a woman, but she wasn't the type to read a Jane Austen novel or cry over a pint of cookie dough ice cream as the latest Lifetime special ran. Hellboy had some serious doubts that, should he and Liz have a girl or two, those "tough" traits would disappear because of a life in the magical suburbs. Maybe it was just a feeling, but he didn't see dollhouses, cheerleading, and frilly dresses in his future; two girls, one girl, or no girl.

"You dunna have a _clue_ what you'll be callin' your kits, do ya?" Kale asked with a sly grin.

"Nope," Hellboy admitted, before gulping down half a gallon of iced tea in an attempt to wash the taste of the hospital food from his tongue. Kale chuckled over his coffee as Hellboy belched and contemplated getting a few more trays and a _dozen_ more liters of tea.

"Ah well," the warlock said as he leaned back in his seat. "You'll figure somethin' nice out, I'm sure."

"Can't really do worse than 'Hellboy', I suppose," the half-demon said.

Kale laughed. "Heh, well, I dunna about that. It's got a certain ring to it, right? I mean, if your kid's a superhero."

"No," Hellboy said at once, making Kale laugh. "_God_ no," he joined in with hearty chuckling. "Superhero? That's _not_ how I'd describe my job, man."

"And why not?" Kale demanded. "You've got the superpowers, the sidekick, the girl, and you've saved the world from ending a couple thousand times." He flashed his white teeth in a broad grin. "If that doesn't count as a superhero, than what does?"

"Don't have a cape," Hellboy replied, and Kale began to laugh so hard he nearly dropped his coffee.

"We could always ask Alliance security to add it onto the uniform," Kale told him after a few moments. "'A course, I think Janna might react badly to that…" His bright aqua eyes flicked thoughtfully back and forth before a very impish grin lit his features. "So it's definitely goin' on my proposal list!"

Hellboy laughed. "You have a death-wish, my freckle-faced friend," he told the other Halfling. He looked down at his virtually empty tray, poking at a scrap of brown, flavorless meat with the tip of his fork. "_But_ then again, same can be said about me." He made the customary grumpy grumbling noise as he started to rise out of his seat. "Time for seconds."

"Sit down an' let me," Kale said, jumping up and grabbing the tray Hellboy had started to take. "No buts, Red." Molten yellow eyes met cool greeny-blue and found them far more resolved than ever previously noted. A tense moment or two passed before Hellboy finally sank back down. Kale's happy-go-lucky persona returned. "There now, you take it easy, a'right? You've been a good sort of fella lookin' after your lass and kits, won't hurt me to grab you some slop."

"Scout's rubbin' off on you, you know," Hellboy offered the only petulant retort his ever-growing good will towards Kale would allow him. "He got you shinin' medals for him at home too?"

Immediately Hellboy regretted the jibe as Kale, ever the one for a nice riposte—no matter _what_ it did to a person's psyche—winked and replied, "Among other things, Red, among other things."

He groaned loudly, covering his face with his stony hand and _trying_ to keep all things TMI out of his head; all the while Kale laughed.

"Bring back a gun with the food," he called after his _friend_. "I don't think that'll leave my head without a bullet!"

The redhead only laughed harder as he marched across the room. Secretly, Hellboy was chuckling a little—_just_ a little. If nothing else, he had to give Kale credit for being able to spin just about any conversation into something humorous. He hadn't known many people like that in his rather long life: a few soldiers, no one really lasting. The only exception was Clay, his old liaison, Goodness rest his soul, but even then Kale would still probably take the cake. Yes, Kale Muir was definitely going to be one of his best friends here in Aeglynn, of that he was very sure.

As he sat back in his wobbly cafeteria chair, musing and waiting for Kale to return with the next helping of mediocre mush, Hellboy suddenly became aware that there was music wafting through the air. It wasn't that he hadn't known it was there—it was a cafeteria, there was always some warble or another drifting out of the speakers–but ninety-nine percent of the time he just registered it as background static. This was different, though. Not because it was particularly beautiful—it wasn't bad, but Hellboy had definitely heard better renditions—but because of the style: _Ave Maria_.

It may have been December 24th but Aeglynn wasn't exactly Christian territory. It wasn't something that anyone was against, but most citizens, being of more earthly spiritual nature as, well, _earthly spirits_,celebrated Yule, the death of winter's peak. Needless to say, hearing a genuine Catholic cornerstone hymn in this place was somewhat of a novelty for the red giant. More than just being a novelty, it brought back some very strong memories.

He could see his father as clearly as if it were yesterday, humming along with the song as he helped a much smaller, red, version of himself set out cookies for Santa. Hellboy could see the battered radio sitting off in the corner of their Roswell home, stoutly refusing to surrender its tubes by pushing the static-riddled tune out. More than anything a feeling came to mind; a feeling of knowing without a doubt that he was loved, wholly and unconditionally, no matter what he did, by at least one person in the world. The song spoke of a mother, but in at least one person's heart it invoked the warm remembrance of a father.

"Father." He whispered the word reverently, looking down at his left hand where Trevor Bruttenholm's rosary was clutched. He hadn't even felt himself pull it from his belt.

"What now?" Kale asked, returning with a heaping tray and a full pitcher of iced tea and shattering his thoughts.

Hellboy shook his head. "Nothing," he replied, but softly. Kale raised an eyebrow at this unusual behavior but, as he was so wonderfully prone to doing, let it go and set down his burdens. Hellboy ate another tray-full and continued his idle banter with Kale, though all the while his thoughts were a million miles away. They circled this new great era in his life: his children, his wife, and, most of all, how he was determined to give those two little people he hadn't even met yet, but loved more than life itself, that same wonderful sense of belonging that a man so long ago had given him.

These thoughts were chief in Hellboy's mind again eight days later, when the doctor handed him the first of his two children, wet, wiggling, with a tail, and squalling like a pro. His girl. And he remembered that song most of all, not even bothering to hide the tears welling in his eyes, as he gave her her name.

_Ave Maria_

_Gratia plena_

_Dominus tecum_

_Benedicta tu in mulieribus_

_Et benedictus fructus ventris_

_Tui, Jesus_

_Sancta Maria_

_Mater Dei_

_Ora pro nobis peccatoribus_

_Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae_

_Amen_


End file.
